


The Fall of the Empire

by MeChewChew



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Drug Use, Future, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Military, Rape/Non-con Elements, kingdom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6037210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeChewChew/pseuds/MeChewChew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all begins with the Uncrowned Generals. As Akashi Masaomi's rule turns more corrupt, Seirin, the resistance, rises up to overthrow the Rakuzan Empire. The squadron sent to eliminate the rebellion? The famed Generation of Miracles under control of the Crown Prince, Akashi Seijuurou.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family, rebellion, the Akashi curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: August 17, 2017

**Year 531 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

Masaomi Akashi ascends the throne, soon after beginning his conquest to create the Rakuzan Empire. The lands of Shuutoku and Yosen, who have always been loyal to the Rakuzan territory, pressured the neutral land of Kaijo into surrendering peacefully. The land of Touou surrendered after a crushing blow to their army by the Empire. Seirin was soon burned to the ground by Masaomi for their continuous resistance, their people fleeing into the Empire and pledging their loyalty to Rakuzan.

As a symbol of peace, children of high ranking officials from each territory would be sent to the capital to receive education and training.

Two years after the formation of the Empire, Emperor Masaomi and his Empress Shiori have a child.

 A year later, Empress Shiori dies from a poisoning. Rumors arise of Masaomi killing his own wife.

**Year 551 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

"Sei-chan!" A light voice calls out as five men walk towards the training ground. Hanamiya Makoto, Kiyoshi Teppei, Nebuya Eikichi, Hayama Kotarou, and Mibuchi Reo make up the famous Five Generals who dominate every battle they lead.

"We bought candy on our way back!" Kiyoshi grins, holding the bag up and waving it around. Hanamiya scoffs at his happiness and Murasakibara has his eyes glued to the treats already. Akashi thanks them for their kindness and takes Mibuchi to the side of the group.

"We're getting a little old for treats, aren't we?" Akashi gives an affectionate smile.

"Sei-chan! You're making us sound old! We're only six years your elders! I’m sure an eighteen year old like you wouldn’t mind some treats," Mibuchi pouted, "besides, there's no harm in enjoying sweets now and then." He patted Akashi's shoulder as he turned towards the group.

Nebuya let a long burp to which Hanamiya glared at him for, a big laugh leaving the dark general. Aomine and Haizaki followed suit, letting out burps and laughing with their mentor.

"That is disgusting," Midorima said, cradling his lucky frog in his hand.

"Aominecchi, that's gross!" Kise cried, holding his nose between two fingers.

"Dai-chan, where are your manners?" Momoi scolded him.

"Why am I the only one getting yelled at? Haizaki did it too!" Aomine retorted.

"I agree with Momoi and Kise," Kuroko said, "please show better manners when around our superiors."

Hayama wrapped an arm around Kuroko's shoulders, "no need for that Kuroko, we're all family here!"

Off to the side, Murasakibara glared at Kiyoshi, his height having no intimidation on the general, "what do you say when you want something?" Kiyoshi teased, waving the snacks around. The younger boy pouted and crossed his arms.

"Atsushi, say please," Assistant to the generals, Himuro Tatsuya, said as he walked into the garden, halting next to Kiyoshi.

"If Muro-chin says so..." Murasakibara sighed, "please give me the snacks, Kiyo-chin."

Kiyoshi laughed, "If you give me a smile!"

Hanamiya groaned and smacked his forehead, "just give them to him already, you idiot!" Kiyoshi laughed again and handed over the snacks to Murasakibara, earning a please smile from the boy as he opened the bag.

"Hey! You five were supposed to send in a report when you got back!" Nijimura Shuuzou, tactician of the Five Generals, yelled as he stomped up the path. He looked at them frolicking around and sighed, walking towards Mibuchi and Akashi. As he was about to open his mouth, he felt a tug on his shirt.

Kuroko looked up to him, "Excuse me, Sir Nijimura, have you seen my brother?"

Nijimura looked towards the pathway he had come from, "He was following me back in town, but you know how you and him have a tact for disappearing..." he sighed, "he should be here soon though, don't worry." Kuroko smiled and gave a small thank you before walking back to Aomine and friends.

"Hey! Guess what I have!" Another voice rang out as Nijimura was about to speak to Akashi and Mibuchi, annoyance climbing up his face.

Alex Garcia, an older, former general, walked in accompanied with a red haired boy, about the same age as Akashi. "This is Kagami Taiga. He's gonna join you in your training, so take care of him!" She introduced him, pushing him into the crowd.

Kagami walked awkwardly around, confusion and aggravation in every step. Kuroko gave him a small pull towards his direction and introduced each member of the group.

"Oh, I already know Tatsuya, he's my brother!" Kagami declared proudly. An angry Murasakibara came up behind him and glared, "Muro-chin is mine," he said, despite Himuro being eight years older than him. Kagami turned around and glared right back. Himuro sighed from his spot and let them tussle it out.

"Ah, brother," Kuroko said, walking between the feuding boys and towards the newcomer.

"Mayuzumi! Why are you late?" Nijimura called out.

"...I had a little baggage." Mayuzumi replied, taking a step to the side and letting a whirl of black and orange pounce on Midorima.

"Shin-chan!" Takao yelled, hugging his friend.

"Takao! Let go, we are in public!" Midorima yelled, turning red. The others around them laughed and teased them as Kuroko turned towards his brother.

"Hello, Tetsuya," Mayuzumi greeted. Kuroko replied with a hello and asked about his day, the two of them off in their own world.

"I'm glad we can be together like this," Akashi said suddenly, the atmosphere dimming immediately. Nijimura smiled widely and ruffled his hair, but Akashi could see it waver ever so slightly.

"We're a family. We'll always be together," Nijimura said, moving his hand to Akashi's shoulder and giving it a pat, "even when we're not."

Mibuchi gathered the two in a hug, the other generals and trainees piling together, some having to be pulled into the group, and stayed for a moment together.

When they let go, Nijimura handed out matching pins he got for all of them, the emblem of a red knot imprinted on each one. Only some members of the group knew that it would be a long time until they could be together again.

-

In a darkened bedroom of the castle, Nijimura held Himuro close to him while they sat on his bed, the latter sitting in his lap.

“Come with me,” Nijimura whispered, letting his head rest on Himuro’s shoulder as he squeezed his waist tighter.

“I can’t,” Himuro said softly, rubbing Nijimura’s arms gently, “I need to watch over Atsushi and Taiga. Who will do it if Alex and you aren’t here?”

Nijimura sighed dejectedly, turning the man in his arms around so they could face each other, cupping his cheeks in his hands.

“I’ll come back for you. I promise.” He leaned forward so their foreheads touched, noses brushing against each other slightly.

Himuro smiled sadly, “I love you.”

Nijimura bit his lip, one hand sliding to Himuro’s back and the other to the back of his head, slowly lowering him to the bed. He hovered above his lover, memorizing his features before leaning down to give him a chaste kiss. Himuro wrapped his arms around Nijimura’s neck and pulled him back down, kissing him more passionately as they felt their time together shortening.

“I love you,” Nijimura whispered back between kisses.

-

“Nijimura Shuuzou, Mayuzumi Chihiro, and Alexandra Garcia are to be captured or killed on sight, one million coins per body,” Kiyoshi read solemnly in his seat at the long dining table reserved for personal meals of the Prince. The room was lined with marble flooring and brick wall, the windows letting in sunlight for their morning meal.

“They’ve fled the capital,” Akashi said, silence sweeping through the table as they all registered what had happened. A knock on the door brought them out of their thoughts as a servant came in asking for the Five Generals and Himuro to meet with the Emperor immediately. They all got up quietly, Hanamiya clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Haizaki disappeared last night too..." Momoi said as Aomine slid up next to Kise and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Who needs him anyways, he never showed up to training," he complained.

"Aomine, you should be worried when people go missing," Kuroko said, "also, please refrain from doing that in public."

"Doing what?" Aomine said loudly, earning a squeak from Kise as he pulled the blonde closer to him.

"It's indecent," Midorima scolded, a blue hilted knife held in his hands.

"Oh, Mido-chin, let me use your knife," Murasakibara said as he tried to open his bag of sweets.

"No."

"You're calling me indecent? That's the ugliest shade of blue I've ever seen!"

"Kuro-chin, I need them"

"Aominecchi, move your hand!"

"Murasakibara, I will not help you."

Akashi stood still, staring at the pin Nijimura had just given him yesterday, trying to piece together how things could have fallen apart so easily.

‘It’s because you’re weak,’ a voice inside him said. Akashi gasped quietly, holding a hand to his head.

“Prince Akashi, are you alright?” Kuroko asked, standing in front of him with brows slightly furrowed.

Akashi let out a sigh and closed his hand around the pin, “Yes Tetsuya, and please, no more of the prince title.” Kuroko smiled and placed his hands on top of Akashi’s, slowly prying his fist open to reveal the pin within.

“We’ll always be together,” he said as he pinned the emblem over Akashi’s heart, “even when we’re not” he said quietly, smiling softly and giving Akashi’s hand a squeeze as he lead the Prince towards the table with their other friends.

An urgent knock interrupted their talk as another servant hurried in, “Prince Akashi! The Emperor is making an announcement!” The group followed the servant outside the castle towards the balcony where he saw his father standing with only three of the Generals and their assistant. A crowd was building up as they waited for the news.

“I believe it is time for my son to start taking on his duties,” Masaomi started, looking down at Akashi, “therefore I will be stripping the Five Generals of their titles,” he smirked, watching as the crowd broke out in hushed surprise.

Masaomi raised a hand and the audience quieted down again, “Nebuya Eikichi and Hayama Kotarou will become my personal guards.” He walked towards the last two members, going behind them and laying a hand on their shoulders, “Mibuchi Reo and Himuro Tatsuya shall become my consorts.”

The crowd broke out in loud gossip, the late empress’s and crown prince’s names being thrown around. Hayama held onto Nebuya’s arm to hold him back, the bigger ex-general’s muscles bulging as he tried to control himself from attacking the Emperor from touching his lover.

Murasakibara looked up at the scene with dark eyes, his bag of chips crushed in his hand. Kagami was still in shock, grasping onto his necklace subconsciously. Midorima fiddled with his knife as Kise and Momoi grabbed onto Aomine’s arms and squeezed.

Akashi winced as a sharp pain went through his head again, the voice coming back.

_‘Look at your dear mentors and watch their lives fall apart because of friendship and love. Get rid of these weaknesses and you will be absolute, like the Akashi you were born to be.’_

He felt a tugging on his sleeve and blinked, finding Kuroko in front of him, “we should go, Prince Akashi” the other said, already leading him and the other back into the castle.

“Ex-Generals Kiyoshi Teppei and Hanamiya Makoto are also added to the list of criminals for a bounty of one million,” Akashi faintly heard his father say over the crowd as the door closed.

Akashi abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallway, “spar with me,” he looked at each of them individually, “all of you.”

The others looked at him with confusion but nodded and walked to the training grounds, each of them hesitantly grabbing their wooden practice weapon of choice: Midorima with a bow and arrows, Murasakibara with an axe, Momoi with knives, Kuroko with a lance, and Akashi, Aomine, Kise, and Kagami with swords. They stood in a circle around the Prince, looking at each other nervously.

Akashi smirked, “don’t hold back,” he said before making the first move and rushing towards Kuroko, disarming him with one swift movement and knocking him to the ground. That snapped the others into action as they all charged towards the Prince.

Akashi ducked and rolled as the swings missed, kicking his leg out to trip Murasakibara and subsequently knocking his axe out of his hand. He carefully eyed the three sword wielders coming at him at different angles. At the last second he spun and dived low to slash Kagami’s stomach with his sword, using the momentum to turn again and knock Kise’s sword out of his hand.

He rolled out of the way of Aomine’s slash and zig zagged towards Momoi who he disarmed and pushed into Midorima, followed by tap to both of their shoulders. He shifted to the side just quick enough as Aomine’s sword came by his neck. He smirked and faced the last man standing, waiting for Aomine to charge towards him as he defended. He moved quickly left then right before charging forward and knocking the man to the ground, holding the sword tip up to his neck, a sure sign of victory.

He panted as he looked around to see his friends’ horrified expressions. He smiled darkly, his left eye filling with gold.

“I am absolute.”


	2. The Court of Akashi Seijuurou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seijuurou's Court & Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: August 17, 2017

**Year 552 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

Kagami and Murasakibara opened the door to the consorts’ room while Nebuya and Hayama were away, their mouths hanging open as they looked around. The whole room was dyed in a rich red with gold accents, everything from the carpet to the canopies were made with the highest quality with a large window allowing sunlight into the room.

A figure clad in a loose, violet robe sat up on one of the beds to the side, taking a moment to register who it was before looking at them in surprise.

“Atsushi? Taiga?” Himuro wrapped the robe closer to himself, “what are you doing here?” he shifted his legs under the blanket.

“Muro-chin! Tatsuya!” they rushed over to him, “are you okay? Are you getting enough to eat? Is he treating you well?” they bombarded him as they sat on the bed close to him.

“I’m fine” he replied softly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, “but I want to know about you two, how has training been? Is everything good?” He reached out cup both their cheeks, rubbing gently “you’re both twenty now, so old” he teases.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there,” he leans forward to peck their cheeks, wincing just the slightest as he leans back.

“It’s okay Tatsuya! Everything’s good, I can compete with that Ahomine now!” Kagami boasts, earning a hair ruffle from Himuro.

“I wanted Muro-chin to train with me, not dumb Kaga-chin” Murasakibara whined, Kagami sputtering as Himuro patted his head.

They heard footsteps coming outside and turned their heads towards the door. “It’s best you leave now before you get caught, you two,” Himuro suggested, “You can visit me another time.”

The two trainees frowned and nodded, “we’ll come see you any chance we get!” Kagami assured, leaning over to give Himuro a hug, Murasakibara following in his steps as he squeezed both of them tightly.

**Year 553 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

Aomine finished wiping himself off with a damp cloth and threw it into the laundry basket before flinging himself down onto the bed, watching Kise bounce a little from the impact. The blonde pouted at Aomine, wrapping himself further into the blanket.

“Hey! Give me some too!” Aomine yelled, trying to salvage enough of the cover to warm himself.

“No!” Kise yelled back, gripping the blanket tighter.

Aomine glowered at the blonde before relenting and letting Kise have the blanket to himself, “I guess you’ll have to be my warmth then,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms and legs around the covered form.

Kise looked at Aomine’s face and blushed deeply, “We’re two decades old and you’re still using cheesy lines Daikicchi!”

Aomine rolled his eyes and pulled the blonde even closer to whisper in his ear, “Oh, I’m sorry, would you rather me talk about mature stuff like how good of a fuck that was?”

Kise shot his hand from the blanket and pushed harshly against Aomine’s bare chest, “That’s dirty! Dirty! You’re soiling our bed with indecency!” He blushed furiously, almost knocking Aomine off the bed.

Aomine rubbed the red mark on his chest and wrapped his arms tighter around Kise, “Aren’t you the one who soiled the bed, Ryouta?”

“Hmph!” Kise rolled over to face away from Aomine, burrowing his red face into the blanket, “goodnight!”

Aomine spooned the blonde and nuzzled the yellow hair in his face, “where’s my night ‘I love you?’” he mused, getting a whiney, “I love you” from his partner before replying with a goodnight and, “I love you” of his own, not falling asleep until Kise’s body had relaxed and gone limp in his arms.

**Year 554 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

“You don’t want to come back to Shuutoku, Shin-chan?” Takao whined, lazily hanging off of Midorima’s bed as the other sat at his desk going over the battle plans.

He sighed, “no, Takao, I am loyal to the Prince.”

Takao pouted at the archer’s back, “what about me? Are you loyal to me?”

A silence passed between them, Midorima’s pen frozen in his hands as he stared down at his paper. Takao sighed and rolled onto his stomach, shoving his face into the blanket. A moment later he felt the bed dip and two hands on his shoulders, pulling him up to face Midorima. The taller man blushed and looked away when Takao fully sat up and stared at him. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, gathering himself to look into Takao’s eyes.

“I…care for you a lot, Takao,” he started, “but…we’re only twenty-one and we have different jobs to do. I will always be loyal to Prince Akashi because I was raised to do so and I owe it to him as a friend. If I…had to choose between you or the Prince…”

Takao put a finger up to Midorima’s lips, silencing him. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a shallow sigh, looking down at his lap.

“Even if what he was doing is wrong?” Takao asked quietly.

“He would realize and come back to himself eventually,” Midorima replied. He shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Takao, an unusual display of affection that Takao almost always initiated first.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed into Takao’s ear.

The black haired lancer didn’t respond, simply laying his head on Midorima’s shoulder.

**Year 555 of the Rakuzan Calendar**

Akashi Seijuurou, age 22, steps out into the throne room in full regalia, white military robes fanning around him as he walks, shoulders squared and belt tied tight with a red sash going from shoulder to waist, black boots clacking on the marble floor. Behind him walks similarly dressed member of his court, red knots pinned to their uniforms over their hearts.

The audience of finely dressed nobles from all the kingdoms stand as they watch the proceedings, the Emperor sitting in his throne as he watches with an amused expression. Akashi steps up to the throne and addresses his father before turning back to the crowd, his men assembled in a semi-circle around him.

“I’ve come today to announce the positions my court will take within the Empire,” he starts off, his men stepping forward as he announces their names.

“Aomine Daiki, First General

Kise Ryouta, Second General

Momoi Satsuki, Tactician

Midorima Shintaro, Consultant

Murasakibara Atsushi, Personal Guard

Kuroko Tetsuya, Personal Assistant

Kagami Taiga, Head Trainer”

The crowd clapped politely as they all took a respectful bow, looking out proudly at all they’ve accomplished. Masaomi stood up and silenced the crowd with a flick of the hand, turning towards Akashi.

“To prove your worth, you will be in charge of taking down the rebellion in Old Seirin, a group has assembled in these past few years that wish to take down the Empire. Eliminate them and you will have proven your heritage.”

“Of course,” Akashi nodded, “they will be dealt with swiftly.”

The assembly dissembled, the newly promoted court meeting with family members and friends from their territory.

“Kasamatsu-cchi!!” Kise squealed as he rushed towards the King of Kaijo, dressed in royal blue and white, hugging him tightly. Kasumatsu pushed him off roughly, “Kise! Not in public at least!” He scowled.

Kise whined and got up, wiping away any dirt he may have gotten on his uniform as Aomine and Momoi walked up behind him. Kasamatsu looked at them confusedly before turning around to see Imayoshi in his regal black and red heading their way, a groan escaping his lips.

“We need to talk” Imayoshi simply said, eyes opening just slightly. Aomine and Momoi nodded, leaning forward slightly to listen to what he said.

“You three need to come home,” Imayoshi said, Kasamatsu nodding next to him.

“What? But we just became the youngest court ever!” Kise said, earning a small punch from Kasamatsu for being too loud.

“It’s too dangerous for you here,” Kasamatsu clarified, “There are things going on and we need you back.”

“But we just got promoted, we can’t just leave…” Momoi reasoned, Aomine simply looking confused in the back.

“You haven’t been home,” Imayoshi said, “You can’t see outside your life here. Come back to Touou.”

Kasamatsu nodded in agreement, “We need you back in Kaijo, Kise.”

“I think we’re staying here,” Aomine, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, “We just got our jobs and you want us to quit? We’re in the highest positions here besides the royal family, it doesn’t make any sense.” Kise and Momoi agreed, “we want to stay.”

Kasamatsu crossed his arms and Imayoshi sighed, “Fine, but be careful,” the Touou King warned, “if anything happens, come home. Now go back to your Prince before he gets worried.” He turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Kasamatsu let Kise hug him one last time before also taking his leave. 

-

Upon arriving to the training grounds, he heard the constant clanging of metal, a sign that Aomine and Kise were up to their daily one on ones. Midorima was off to the side, practicing his aim with a various assortment of bows and arrows. Takao was visiting for a week, waving his lance around lazily as he spent most of his energy talking to the green haired archer next to him. Murasakibara’s axe laid on the ground, its owner standing next to it, munching on snacks. Kagami yelled from across the grounds, waving his sword in the air and directing new soldiers in their training regime.

Akashi turned away from observing his head trainer as Kuroko stepped into the area. He raised his hand and the personal court around him ceased their practice and grouped around him. It took a little time for Kagami to notice and when he did, he trotted awkwardly over to the gathering. Momoi came running over as Kagami came, a packet of papers in her hand.

“Prince Akashi, shouldn’t we move this somewhere a little more private?” Momoi asked, eyeing Takao, who was sitting on a small set of steps and looking at their congregation. The Prince nodded and lead the group through the hallways into a room filled with strategy books, just big enough for a group slightly bigger than theirs. They gathered around a smooth wooden table with a large map unrolled on it. Rakuzan was in the center and the other territories formed a circle around it, Seirin to the East followed by Kaijo, Shuutoku, Yosen, and Touou in a clockwise direction.

Momoi laid the papers in the corner and set up small figures across the territories, taking out a thin pointer and tapping it to the east.

“This is where Seirin was formally before it was destroyed. No one knows the exact location of the resistance’s base, but it must be in this area. No country would harbor these criminals for fear of the empire.”

“If I pieced the limited data I have accurately, they’ll be stationed in Seirin’s capital, a perfect spot for them to escape North to Touou, South to Kaijo, or even West into the Empire if something happened.”

She looked at Akashi and he nodded, giving her a signal to continue. She moved several of the figures around.

“In three days, Kise will go South into Kaijo border and wrap around the resistance from the back. Aomine will go straight towards Seirin’s western border to attack from the front. Prince Akashi and Murasakibara will stick with Aomine’s group and Midorima will watch over Kise’s.”

Midorima sighed in annoyance as the blonde latched himself onto his shoulder, talking excitedly about how much fun they would have with each other. Aomine groaned, not looking forward to having Akashi on his back the whole time or having Kise out of his reach for that long.

“Kuroko, you’ll be going with Kise’s group as well,” Akashi said, flicking his head slightly to the side a moment afterwards when everyone was distracted as Kise yelled about having Kurokocchi with him. It was almost unnoticeable, but Kuroko’s trained as caught the movement and gave a small nod as he tried to push Kise off him.

“Wait,” Kagami said, “what about me?”

Akashi turned a glare towards him, “You’re not going. You stay here and train the troops.” Kagami became annoyed, “then why am I at this meeting?!” Akashi gave an almost unnoticeable huff and replied back shortly, “just in case.”

Kuroko bit down on his lip as he watched the altercation. Akashi had never really liked Kagami from the moment he laid eyes on him. He liked to treat Kagami as if he was an outsider to their group, which he was in a way. Kuroko liked the fiery red head though. He was the only one who hadn’t changed when Akashi had changed.

When Akashi changed four years ago, Midorima became more isolated, Murasakibara more obstinate, Aomine more uncaring, Kise more cocky, and Momoi much sadder.

Kuroko was broken out of his thoughts as Akashi dismissed the group, leaving the two of them in the room alone. Kuroko’s eyes swept over the Prince’s, taking in the glossy black boots, the pure white silk jacket adorned with gold epaulettes and buttons, matching white pants, gloves, and a sash the color of his hair wrapped around his waist. A slim sword used more for decoration than battle hung off of his belt and a general’s hat sat properly on top of his head, the last bit of decoration being the pin still adorned over his heart to that day.

Kuroko’s uniform was tighter and pure black to match his job as the “Personal Assistant.” Hidden pockets filled the inside and outside of his uniform and no decorations that could snatch on branches decorated the clothing. His job was to be silent and invisible. His pin though, was attached to the inside of his uniform.

“You’ll take out the leaders from the back line,” Akashi said, his voice loud in the small room.

Kuroko swallowed a lump in his throat and laid his hand across the pocket that held his brother’s knife in. Akashi noticed this action and stepped forward, pulling Kuroko’s hand from the pocket gently, holding it in both of his own to comfort him.

“It’s time for the trainee to beat the trainer,” Akashi had simply said, no remorse in his eyes.

“Akashi…” Kuroko mumbled out, staring into the red and gold eyes, “It’s not just Ma…Mayuzumi whom I’d be taking out. What about Nijimura?” Kuroko knew it was dangerous to mention Akashi’s former mentor. The man had filled in as Akashi’s sibling figure from the Prince’s birth and helped him after his mother had died.

The air around Akashi grew cold and his grip tightened on Kuroko’s hand, “Those who betray the empire are to be eliminated,” he glared into Kuroko’s eyes, “Understood, Tetsuya? I will be absolute.”

Kuroko inhaled sharply at the decisive decision and stared at their connected hands. He frowned and laid his free hand on top of Akashi’s hold, slowly pushing it away.

“You’ve changed, Akashi,” he said, “you’re not the prince you were four years ago.”

Akashi stared into his eyes and took another step forward, brushing the back of his hand against Kuroko’s cheek. The air turned colder as Akashi loomed over him intimidatingly, “what do you mean, Tetsuya?”

Kuroko sighed, it was always the same reply. Akashi gave a single laugh.

“I haven’t changed, I’m still Akashi Seijuurou.”

Kuroko looked up at him with desperate eyes, trying to get across to the old Akashi in any way possible, but nothing ever changed. Nothing has changed since that day four years ago.


	3. What's Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko's escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: August 17, 2017

Kuroko had bid Prince Akashi a goodnight and was making his way towards his room when he heard strained whispering from the hallway. He hid behind a pillar, peeking out just enough to check the situation.

Kagami and Murasakibara were having an argument outside of the King’s consorts’ chamber. He moved closer to them, his misdirection masking his presence so he could get to the pillar right next to them.

“Don’t you want to see him?!” Kagami shouted in a whisper.

“But the King won’t let us, Kaga-chin,” Mursakibara replied in his usual tone.

“Nebuya and Hayama aren’t here to guard the doors tonight! He’s our brother, how can you not want to see!” Kagami said.

“We can’t. I’m not going against the King now, he’s scarier than Aka-chin,” Murasakibara said, turning away from the door.

“So you don’t care about Tatsuya?” Kagami asked.

Murasakibara turned back around and glared at the red head, “I love Muro-chin just as much as you do,” he said, “but I’m not going to get on the King’s bad side just because I want to see him.”

Kuroko purposely hit his hand against the wall, shocking the two arguing in front of him.

“We should go, Kaga-chin,” Murasakibara said, already walking away.

Kagami growled and stalked off after him, “dammit!” he said under his breath.

Kuroko walked out from the pillar when the two had gone far enough, staring at the polished wooden doors that lead to two of his former mentors. He sighed and thought about the people he was assigned to kill at the next battle. Would Himuro forgive him if he took at Nijimura? More importantly, would Himuro even be able to comprehend what was happening in the outside world? Or, if he didn’t go with Akashi’s plan, would Nebuya forgive him for endangering Mibuchi? He let out a shaky breath and left to return to his own room after one last look at the door.

He locked the door behind him as he entered his simple bedroom. He had the basic items that every bedroom had, nothing extra – except a multitude of weapons hidden all around the room, but that was necessary for his safety.

He was about to change out of his uniform when he sensed a presence near his window. He pulled several knives out of his pocket, taking silent steps towards the opening and put a hand on the frame. He prepped himself and took a deep breath before shoving the window up and waiting for the smallest movement to indicate his target.

“Tetsuya,” a voice said out from the darkness.

Kuroko’s eyes widened and he let out a small gasp, he would recognize that voice anywhere.

“Chihiro?” he whispered.

A dark, gloved hand appeared from the side of the window, grabbing onto the frame to hoist the rest of the body into the room. Kuroko stared at his brother in disbelief as the older man raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’d be dead right now if I wanted to kill you,” he said.

Kuroko blinked back to reality and stepped back quickly, raising his knives in a ready position. Mayuzumi put his hands up, pulling his half mask down in the process. Kuroko exhaled deeply and lowered his weapons.

“Why are you-”

“Join the resistance,” Mayuzumi cut him off, “you know the Rakuzan Empire needs to be taken down. They’re dictators, they control everyone with fear, you’ve seen how Seijuurou has changed for the worst.”

“I’ll change him back,” Kuroko replied determinedly.

“How?” Mayuzumi asked, “It’s been four years since he has changed, Tetsuya. He won’t come back until something drastic happens. None of your friends will change unless we do something.”

“And me leaving him in the middle of the night will help them?” Kuroko replied sharply.

“Seijuurou is better than his father,” Mayuzumi said, leveling his gaze with Kuroko’s, “he will change, I believe that, but he has to lose in order to gain. You have to break the Akashi curse – break the chain of absolutism.”

Kuroko stared at him, trying to clear his jumbled thoughts.

“The Rakuzan Empire will fall, Tetsuya. If you want to do what’s right, if you want to see Seijuurou as he once was, join Seirin.” Mayuzumi finished, holding his hand out for his brother to grab.

Kuroko’s hand hovered over Mayuzumi’s.

“Tetsuya,” Mayuzumi said, looking into his eyes desperately, “we need you. If you come, Seijuurou will stall his advancement to the base. Less people will die this way.”

Kuroko bit his lip, his hand still frozen above his brother’s.

“If you join us…there’s a chance some of your friends will come to our cause too, right? If we could just get two other miracles to come with us, the people wouldn’t be afraid to rally behind us,” Mayuzumi said slowly, hopefully. “You can help us bring about a new age, one without a feared ruler, one with your Seijuurou, the one from four years ago.”

Kuroko swallowed and was about to accept the offer when something struck him, “I want Kagami to come with us,” he demanded, “he’s not like the others, he hasn’t changed. He’ll help us, I assure you.”

Mayuzumi sighed tensely, “I don’t know if we can make it out tonight with him, Tetsuya.”

“I won’t go if Kagami won’t go,” Kuroko stared coolly into Mayuzumi’s eyes.

“Fine,” Mayuzumi said, he knew how stubborn his brother could be after he made a decision. Kuroko placed his hand over his brother’s and shook it.

“How do we get Kagami out of here?” Mayuzumi asked, the younger man didn’t have the skills that he and Kuroko shared.

“We’ll have to get to a first floor exit,” Kuroko replied, his body starting to tingle with nervousness about getting out safely with Kagami.

“You’ll have to lead, Tetsuya,” Mayuzumi said, earning a nod from Kuroko who closed the window and pulled a black mask over his hair and lower face. Mayuzumi did the same and the two opened the door, running silently across the carpeted hallway towards Kagami’s room.

Kuroko picked the lock quickly and they went in, holding a hand across Kagami’s mouth to keep him quiet as they woke him.

“We’re leaving, Kagami,” Kuroko whispered.

“What?!” Kagami said, his voice muffled by the hand.

“Trust me,” Kuroko said, earning a nod from the red head as he got up and changed into his trainer’s uniform, which was similar to Akashi’s ensemble except it being brown. He grabbed his sheathed sword and looped it through his belt.

Kuroko motioned for the two to follow him as they left the room and locked it behind them. As the three hurried down the servants’ staircase which connected to the kitchen, a stampede of footsteps started coming towards them.

-

Akashi jolted awake, sitting up in his bed and placing a hand against his left eye.

“I am absolute, Tetsuya.”

He got up & wrapped his robe around himself, alerting the guards in the hall to alert the others.

“Head to the kitchen, there are three attempting to escape. You are to capture, not kill.”

-

They reached the bottom of the staircase and pushed open the door, just as the main kitchen entrance was slammed open and a swarm of guards filed in. Mayuzumi cursed and grabbed Kuroko’s hand, pulling him back up the staircase. Kagami scrambled to follow them as the guards came running towards them.

“Kagami!” Kuroko yelled, looking back at the guards catching up to his friend more and more.

“Just go!” Kagami shouted as he was caught, beating him down to the floor.

Kuroko screamed his friend’s name again as he watched Kagami get beaten to the point of unconsciousness. Mayuzumi pulled his hand harder as he shoved the second floor door open and ran towards the window at the end of the hall.

“Tetsuya!” Mayuzumi yelled as they got closer, “we have to leave! We’ll come back for him later, I promise!”

He gave a harsh pull on Kuroko’s hand again, letting go and smashing through the window, small glass fragments embedding themselves into his black uniform. He looked behind him for a moment to check that Kuroko was following him, letting out a small sigh of relief to see that his brother did.

The two rolled on the ground before quickly picking themselves up and running through the garden. He caught sight of the swan water fountain designed by the former queen, a place that all of them had a fond memories of. He passed by the lit archway that couples loved to sit under, he saw a glimpse of the prized flowers that the servants tended to, he saw all the things he grew up with disappear as Mayuzumi lead him farther and farther away from the palace, until finally, he saw the whole palace start to drift away from view.

They took a sudden veer to the left and Kuroko snapped back to the situation as the two tumbled down a steep incline, as the palace was on a hill, that lead to a forest clearing. Kuroko panted, catching his breath before and looking up to drop his jaw at the sight in front of him.

“Is that my horse?” he asked, walking up to it and petting it’s nose.

Mayuzumi chuckled, “I know, I’m good. Now let’s go.” He hopped onto his own horse and brought it into a gallop, Kuroko riding next to him as they headed for Seirin.

-

Akashi’s court stood around him nervously in states of various undress, the angry aura surrounding the Prince palpable.

“Where is that traitor,” he demanded.

“We put him in the dungeon, Your Highness,” Aomine replied stiffly, this being the politest he’s been in months.

A thick silence surrounded the group as they all looked at anything besides their Prince.

“Why was Tetsuya not caught?”

“How did he escape?”

“Why did he leave?”

 No answer.

"You’re all useless. Leave.”

The group scrambled off to their own rooms, leaving the Prince to simmer by himself. Akashi sneered in the hallway, gripping his head with one hand as a stabbing pain ripped through his left eye.

_'He left you’_

_‘There’s nothing stopping the other from leaving now’_

_‘You have to make them stay, right, Seijuurou? You know their weaknesses’_

_'You are absolute.’_

“I am absolute,” Akashi whispered into the darkened hallway.

-

Kise and Aomine quickly undressed and hopped into their bed, a thick air surrounding them. The blonde shivered and Aomine wrapped a hand around his waist and pulled him closer.

“Kurokocchi left…” Kise said quietly.

“Yeah,” Aomine grunted, “I didn’t think he had it in him, or Kagami either.”

Another wave of silence passed by them and Kise shifted and rolled them over so he could hover over his lover. He stared down into Aomine’s eyes, his arms supporting his weight over the other and let out a deep breath.

He leant down and gave Aomine a small kiss on the lips, intending to lay back down on the bed and get as much rest as he could muster, but the other grabbed onto the back of his neck and pushed the kiss deeper. His other hand snaked around Kise’s toned torso and the blonde felt his partner’s smirk.

“One more round tonight?” Aomine mumbled against their lips

Kise rolled his eyes and pulled back with a glint in his eyes, “of course, honey,” he teased with loud laugh.

-

Midorima made it to his room and closed the door behind him, letting out a deep sigh before changing once more into his night wear.

“What happened?” Takao asked, sitting up on the bed.

The Prince’s Assistant sat heavily on the bed, “Kuroko fled the palace and Kagami was caught doing the same. He’s down in the dungeon right now.”

“Is that so?” Takao said, pulling Midorima down to lay on the bed and putting his glasses on the night stand, “do you know why they would flee?”

Midorima didn’t reply.

“Maybe it’s because they realize what this kingdom has become,” Takao said, leaning down and pecking Midorima’s lips.

“Takao, you…”

“Goodnight, Shin-chan~!” Takao said loudly, flopping his body down onto Midorima’s, the taller one releasing a sound of surprise before moving a hand to the back of Takao’s head, gently running his fingers through the soft hair, “goodnight, Takao.”

He stroked the back of Takao’s head even after his lover had fallen asleep, thoughts racing through his head. His hand quickly clenched and unclenched the hair in his hand before continuing to run his fingers through. Midorima craned his neck forward to lay a gentle kiss on the top of Takao’s head and gave the sleeping man a squeeze.


	4. Purple Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seirin, court changes, and escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Chapters 1-3 have been HEAVILY EDITED since August 17, 2017

Kuroko and Mayuzumi came to a clearing in the half dead forest, the trees charred from flames during the last war. Mayuzumi lead them towards a cliff side where two people greeted them and took their horses. They disembarked and the elder lead them to the side where a small opening in the cliff was, beckoning to Kuroko to follow him in. As they walked, the tunnel grew bigger and torches lit the walls. Soon, they came into a large open space where a group of people came to meet them.

“Sir Nijimura, Sir Kiyoshi, Lady Garcia…Haizaki?” He said in disbelief, barely recognizing his former fellow trainee as he had changed his hair from gray to black.

Alex and Kiyoshi smiled at him, “just call us Alex and Kiyoshi, we don’t do all that fancy stuff here!” she walked up and gave him a pat on the back.

“It’s nice to see you again, Kuroko. Sorry to be a downer, but could you tell us about Akashi’s plan?” Nijimura asked, leading them aside into a tunnel that lead to a smaller cavern where a table was placed with a map sitting on top, unrolled. They all circled around it as Kuroko oriented himself to the map.

“Sorry Kuroko,” Kiyoshi apologized, “we’re all a little antsy right now.” Kuroko nodded in understanding, grabbing the small figures sitting on the side of the table as he repeated the plan Akashi had told him yesterday.

“Kise and Midorima are going south into Kaijo and wrapping around Seirin’s back. Aomine and the rest are to head straight east at Seirin. I was supposed to with them to…take care of the back line,” he said hesitantly.

“You mean take us out,” Haizaki said nonchalantly, crossing his arms.

“Akashi’s plan has changed, no doubt, but at least for now we’ve stalled him,” Nijimura said, staring at the map before looking up at Kuroko, “I know you just got here, Kuroko, but we have a big job for you.”

“How can you trust me?” Kuroko asked, “I just came from the Empire.”

“We have no choice,” Nijimura smoothly replied, “we need someone who has recently been in the castle and knows everything about it.”

He tapped on various places on the map, “We know Shuutoku and Yosen will be loyal to the Empire. We’ve tried contacting Kaijo but they are adamant on staying neutral. Touou is where you come in, Kuroko,” he looked up at the boy.

“Touou’s King, Imayoshi, has agreed to help us on one condition. He wants Aomine and Momoi returned to them as they’re as close as family to him. Escape the capital with those two and we have a standing army for the rebellion.”

“Aomine and Momoi won’t leave without Kise,” Kuroko rebutted, “it will be difficult to get three people out.” He looked straight at Nijimura, “and I want to get Kagami too.”

“Sure,” Nijimura said, “as long as you get Aomine and Momoi out, you can do whatever you like. If you can get Kise out then there’s a possibility of Kaijo siding with us too, but Touou is our first priority.”

Footsteps ran towards them, all of them tensing before a messenger appeared in the room holding a letter, “news from the Prince!” He handed over the letter to Nijimura before running off again into the tunnel.

-

Akashi and his court waited as Midorima sent Takao off to go back to Shuutoku, a solemn air surrounding them as they headed towards the dungeons. Murasakibara unlocked the door to Kagami’s cell, the failed escapee tied to a chair and looking up at them guiltily.

“Where is Tetsuya?” Akashi asked, to which Kagami shrugged. He stepped forward and slapped the man across the face. The others behind him looked shocked at the action, standing behind the Prince uncomfortably.

“Why were you two escaping?”

“I don’t know,” Kagami answered honestly, verbal this time. Akashi slapped him again.

“You were going to join the rebellion.”

“I don’t know, okay? Kuroko just woke me up and told me to follow him!”

Akashi balled his hand and punched the trainer, “we’ll try again tomorrow.”

He turned around and walked back to the door, the others silently apologizing to Kagami as Murasakibara relocked the door, following Akashi out of the dungeons.

‘Why did he leave?’ Akashi questioned himself as he walked, ‘Aren’t we supposed to stay together?’ he gripped at the red knot on his uniform.

‘ _It’s because you’re weak,’_ the voice in his mind said, _‘Now take that silly notion out of your head and keep your court in line. You have a battle to win.’_

Akashi stopped in the hallway abruptly and turned around to look at his court, his mismatched eyes landing on the trio of friends. Kise and Momoi looked at him with concern, leaning closer to each other with Aomine in the middle.

He turns back around and walks briskly to the front of the upper castle where the balcony is, his presence there making the commoners bustling around town look up at him.

“I have decided to change my personal court,” he started, “Aomine Daiki will be the sole army general. I shall take Kise Ryouta as my consort.”

He turned around and walked back into the castle, leaving his court shocked in their positions, mouths hanging with disbelief. He stopped and didn’t bother to glance behind him at the chaos he had wrought below.

“Come with me, Ryouta,” he commanded, turning around when no one moved, “need I repeat myself?”

“Akashi this is highly unreasonable-“ Midorima started.

“You can’t just do that!” Aomine roared, pushing Kise behind him and stomping up to the Prince.

“Dai-chan no-!” Momoi yelled as the General swung his arm, fist ready to collide.

Murasakibara caught his fist before it could connect to Akashi, “Mine-chin, that’s a bad idea,” he said slowly.

Akashi looked at Aomine, his head cocking slightly with eyes blown wide, his gold one shimmering in the sunlight. He stepped up to Aomine, the other stumbling back to fall on the ground.

“I am absolute, Daiki.”

Akashi turned his eyes back to Kise, “take him,” he ordered, watching Murasakibara wrestle the general before grabbing his arm tightly and forcing it behind his back, Kise wincing slightly at the pull.

“Kise-chin, please,” Murasakibara murmured, not wanting to hurt his friend. Kise nodded sadly, instead looking towards Aomine who was on the ground, looking up at him desperately.

Akashi started walking to his room, trusting Midorima and Murasakibara to follow, the giant pushing Kise along as he kept looking at his lover.

“I love you,” Kise said softly.

“I love you too,” Aomine replied equally as tender, Momoi nodding next to him as she cried.

They rounded the corner and Kise started resisting again, trying to pull away from Murasakibara, eyes watering as he was forced to walk along. He sniffled as they walked, servants staring at them as they went. As Akashi’s room came into view, Kise broke out in a sob, tears falling down his cheeks as the door was opened.

“Let me go!” he screamed as he was pushed into Akashi’s room by Murasakibara. He took the moment of disconnect to draw his sword out only to drop it when a strong hand squeezed his wrist. He pulled at the hand with his free one, “It hurts! Let go!”

Midorima stepped into the room calmly with an ornate box and placed it by the bed on the nightstand, keeping his eyes down and away from Kise. Akashi stepped in a moment later with a long, dark blue robe, embroidered with the finest gold, and presented it to the blonde, “wear this,” he commanded.

Kise shook his head furiously, “no!”

“Hold him down,” Akashi said, not sparing Murasakibara a glance as he said so.

Kise looked up at the tall miracle pleadingly, “please, Murasakibaracchi…” he gave another tug at his wrist.

Akashi turned to him, his gold eye shining, “now.”

Murasakibara swallowed and pushed the blonde onto the bed, holding his wrists together with one hand and pushing down on his chest with the other. Kise screamed. He kicked his legs out, squirming in an attempt to get away, tears streaming down his face as Midorima came up to hold his legs down, Akashi coming to his side with a pair of scissors.

He whimpered as Akashi leaned down, trying to move his body away from the hands. Akashi unbuttoned his jacket then used the scissors to cut along the sleeves’ seam and removed it from his body. Kise froze as the scissors worked their way from his arms to his pants, letting out another stream of tears as Akashi cut down his pants and ripped them away, leaving him in just his underwear.

Midorima and Murasakibara unhanded Kise after Akashi gave them a slight nod. The blonde immediately curled up on himself, turning away from the Prince and sobbing every other breath. Akashi grabbed the robe again and presented it to Kise, “will you wear it now?”

Kise shuddered and grabbed the blue garment, slowly sliding his arms into the flowing sleeves, his hands shaking as he slowly did the intricate buttons that went up the side and made a diagonal to his collar bone. The style of the robe was rather loose and ended at his mid-thigh, exposing most of his legs.

“W…Why are you doing this?” Kise asked, turned away from Akashi as his body shivered.

“I am absolute,” he replied, turning to Midorima and nodding. “Hold him down again, Atsushi.”

Kise began to struggle again as Murasakibara forced him onto the bed again. He sat on Kise’s legs and held his arms to his side, watching him with a frown as Midorima approached with a syringe filled with a gold liquid.

Kise screamed again, his eyes widening when he saw the syringe. Akashi held his shoulders down, leaving him immobile from the neck down, “don’t worry, Ryouta, I won’t be like my father.”

Midorima pushed up the robe’s sleeve and wiped Kise’s arm clean, taking a deep breath before pushing the needle in gently.

“Midorima-cchi…”

He looked up at Kise when the other called his name softly, and took in a deep breath as he stared into those pleading eyes.

“Shintaro,” Akashi said, urging him on.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he pushed the liquid into his arm, whether he meant that to Akashi or Kise, he wasn’t sure.

Murasakibara looked down at Kise, watching as his sparkling eyes lost their shine before his body went limp and eyes closed.

Something churned in his stomach and burned at his heart.

 -

Aomine stormed into the dungeons with Momoi following behind him and unlocked the door to Kagami’s cell. Every member of the personal court had their own set of keys to nearly all the rooms in the palace. He ripped the bars aside and took two strides in before grabbing Kagami by the shirt.

“Where is Tetsu?” He shouted, fist shaking in fury around the other’s shirt.

Kagami sputtered in surprise, “I don’t know! I already told you!”

“Dai-chan, stop!” Momoi shouted, pulling on Aomine’s arm, “He doesn’t know anything!”

“What happened?” Kagami yelled, trying to pull away from the general.

“Akashi took Kise because of the stunt Tetsu pulled!” Aomine growled, letting go of Kagami and instead going to the wall to take his anger out on it, kicking and pounding on it.

Momoi sniffled softly as she came over to Kagami with first aid supplies, wiping his face clean with a cloth before applying an ointment on. Footsteps came towards them as Momoi finished putting a bandage on his cheek. Midorima stepped into view, his usual regal demeanor staunched by his quiet steps and dropped shoulders.

“I drugged him,” he said quietly as he came upon the cell.

Aomine growled and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him into the wall, “Why?” he sneered.

“I was ordered to,” Midorima winced, “you can blame it on me. I’ll take the responsibility.”

“Dai-chan, it’s not his fault!” Momoi pointed out, “he could have gotten punished if he didn’t follow Akashi’s orders!”

Aomine ignored her as he leaned close to Midorima, glaring at him viciously, “What aren’t you telling us?”

Midorima looked to the side into Kagami’s cell, “He was held down and Akashi cut his clothing. He…We forced him to wear a consorts’ robe.”

He hadn’t expected, but perhaps he should have, the punch that landed on his face as he fell to the floor, his cheek throbbing as Momoi bustled over to check it. He heard her yell at her childhood friend as he stomped out of the dungeons before she went back to her task.

-

Murasakibara couldn’t sleep. He sat up and checked the time, it was just past midnight. He keep thinking about Kise – specifically, Kise’s eyes as the drug entered his system. His chest felt tight as something swelled within him, it had been clawing at him since that moment.

Guilt.

Ignorance.

Realization.

He huffed and got out of bed, opening his door to wander the halls to clear his thoughts out. He was just following orders. Akashi was the Prince and he should listen to a Prince, right? He stopped at a door and looked at it, it was the consorts’ room.

Nebuya and Hayama weren’t here to guard it – they weren’t here half the time…? He blinked and held a hand to his head. They wouldn’t be here unless Mibuchi was in the room, why had he never noticed before?

He laid a hand on the door. He was slightly irked that the two guard weren’t here when it was just Himuro in the room – what if something happened to him? He groaned and rested his head against the door.

He never made an effort to help Himuro.

He’s been sitting by for four years, too naïve to understand what being a consort meant.

No, he was ignoring what was happening to Himuro to make himself feel better.

_He entered the palace at the age of ten, already the height of an average adult. It was hard for him to make friends with the other trainees and he didn’t like the mentors. One was too loud, the other irritating, the other too flowery, one always grumpy, and one who smiled too much. He didn’t like them and they didn’t like him – except Kiyoshi anyways, but he liked everyone._

_Nijimura had passed him along to a new mentor, fed up with his colleagues complaints about the lazy boy. Murasakibara hadn’t expected anything of his newest mentor – he was too cool and mysterious looking, it set him on edge. But then the snacks came out._

_Himuro went out of his way to buy snacks, different kinds every day, to motivate him to practice. Even more, the older teen became like a brother to him, even allowing Murasakibara to call him Muro-chin._

_When he was upset, Murasakibara would go to Himuro and the elder would always comfort him and give him advice. Himuro helped him get along with the rest of his trainees and the other mentors. He even left Nijimura sometimes to keep Murasakibara company – he didn’t really earn points with the head trainer when that happened though…_

Murasakibara wrapped his hand around the door handle.

‘I haven’t seen Muro-chin in four years.’

‘I’m going to give back everything Muro-chin gave to me,’ he thought, ‘starting with this.’

He put the key in and pulled the handle, pushing the door open.

He turned the lights on and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Himuro asleep on one of the beds. He shuffled over and tried to shake him awake, but the other was sound asleep. Murasakibara looked down at where Himuro’s violet robe slid down to reveal the dark marks on his neck and collar. His eyes widened as he noticed a slit running down both sides of the robe to expose harshly marked legs.

A flash of anger went through his body as he thought of how rough the King could be to his consorts. A flash of regret also registered in his mind – he turned a blind eye to the mistreatment for four years. He shook his head, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about this.

_What was he even doing?_

He was just following his instinct at this point as he grabbed the light blanket and wrapped Himuro into it, picking him up carefully so his head rested on his shoulder. A spike of adrenaline rushed through him – if he was caught, he was dead.

He headed for the door, looking right and left before walking quickly down the hall as quietly as he could. He ran down flights of stairs until he reached the basement where the dungeons were. His breathing was a little ragged as he headed towards his rival’s prison and unlocked the door.

Kagami stirred and jumped up at the rattling in his cell.

“Murasakibara?”

The taller one barely gave him a glance as he unlocked and opened the door, laying the bundle in his arms against the wall for a second as he ripped through the ropes Kagami was tied with. He kneeled down to pick up Himuro again and handed him to the other.

“Take him and go, I don’t know how, I don’t care how, just go!” Murasakibara exasperated, pushing Kagami out of the cell and urging him up the stair case to the first floor.

“Murasaki-“

“Take care of him, okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t help more than this.”

Murasakibara took a last look at Himuro and moved his bangs to the side before he shoved Kagami out of the kitchen door and closed it behind him, breathing heavily. He looked around, just waiting for the guards to capture him. When none came, he let out a long sigh and walked quietly to his room, he doubted he’d be able to sleep now.

-

Kagami stumbled outside, careful not to drop Himuro. He didn’t know what to do, he just ran. After running past the garden’s archway, he looked left and right. Where should he go? He looked down at his brother and squeezed him slightly. Was he always this light?

He shivered as he felt a presence coming up behind him, tensing up.

“Kagami!” someone whispered loudly, “follow me!”

He could barely see the shadow, but he had no choice, what could he do right now? He ran after the small figure down the hill, getting to the forest where he saw two horses. The shadow walked towards him, into the light of the moon.

“Takao?!” he nearly yelled.

“Shh! Get on already!” Takao hushed, taking Himuro while Kagami climbed on a horse before giving him back to sit in front of him. Takao mounted his own horse and started to lead them through the forest.

“How did you know I was escaping?” Kagami asked.

“I didn’t,” Takao replied, “I was monitoring the palace for our next move when I saw some idiot running through the garden,” he snickered, “now how did you get out with him?”

“Murasakibara” Kagami murmured.

“Wow,” Takao whistled, “didn’t think he had it in him.” He glanced over to one of his former mentors, “Is he okay? He hasn’t woken up this whole time.”

Kagami looked down, making sure Himuro was secure in his arms, “yeah,” he said shakily, “everything’s going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I picked up this story again when I saw how many kudos it had, thanks so much!!


	5. Lovers Reunite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killer consorts and volunteering

Akashi stood in front of his father in the throne room, the remaining members of his court behind him solemnly. Masaomi leaned back against his throne, looking down at his son with a mask of indifference. 

“No one saw how the traitor escaped with the consort. It was my miscalculation, but I will rectify it,” Akashi spoke calmly, posture straight and hands resting behind his back.

The King waited for a moment before speaking, “I don’t care about the consort,” he started, eyes drifting over to his son’s personal guard. Murasakibara clenched his fists behind his back, looking away from the king as he glared at the floor, teeth grinding together as he fought to keep his composure.

“Rather,” Masaomi continued, gaze returning to his son, “I want you to annihilate Seirin immediately. You’ve spent too long playing your games with them, Seijuurou.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Akashi replied, giving his father a bow before turning around and walking towards the door, his court following behind him obediently.

“The Akashi line is absolute,” Masaomi said as Akashi stepped up to the entryway, watching his son’s back stiffen for a moment before he walked out.

Akashi walked through the corridor briskly, face only giving the barest hint of annoyance as his lips pursed just slightly. He strode towards his room, “Daiki, Satsuki, follow me,” he ordered curtly, the two members picking up their pace as the others fell back.

Akashi opened his door with a flick, leading the other two in just far enough to see his bed, Kise lying unconscious under the covers. He heard their breaths hitch and he turned to face them.

“I have not done anything to him yet,” he said quietly, “but I make no promises of what will happen if you two do not behave,” he threatened. “Do I make myself clear?” He nearly hissed, turning to face them.

Aomine and Momoi nodded solemnly, eyes never leaving the prone figure on the bed.

-

“Kagami!” Kuroko smiled as he saw his friend come through, a wave of relief going through him.  Takao had lead Kagami to the center of the base, all of them looking worse for wear as they rode through the night.

Alex ran up to them, “Taiga!” She ran up to them only to stop when she saw the limp figure in his arms. “Tatsuya?” She gasped, leaning down ever so slightly to make sure, eyebrows furrowed. Her excited mood turned serious, ushering the three further into the base, calling out to Nijimura.

The leader stepped out into the room, taking cautionary steps towards Kagami. His eyes drifted to the bundle in his arms, peering down into a familiar face once he got close enough. His hand went up and caressed Himuro’s cheek, pushing his bangs to the side as he got up to his forehead.

“Tatsuya?” he whispered in disbelief.

As if hearing his name from his slumber, Himuro’s eyes slowly opened, at first unseeing until they lifted up to see Kagami and then shifted to look at Nijimura. A flash of recognition came across his face before he jerked out of Kagami’s grasp and pulled the blanket off of him.

“Tatsuya!” Alex shrieked as the blanket billowed down, watching in shock as Himuro pulled a knife from his inner thigh where his robe hid it and slashed at Nijimura.

Nijimura had instinctively taken a step back as the knife soared towards his chest, his arm taking the hit instead. Kagami lunged forward and grabbed Himuro’s arms, pulling him backwards as his brother struggled against his hold, screaming in frustration.

“I’ll be free!” Himuro yelled, knuckles white where they clenched the knife, eyes blown wide and concentrated on the leader. Nijimura stood there in shock as he stared at his lover, fighting like a rabid animal. Before he could think of anything to do, Kuroko came up and sharply hit the back of Himuro’s neck, causing him to fall unconscious again, knife dropped to the ground as Kagami held onto him again.

The other members of the base had ran in at the commotion, Alex waving them off as she came back to her senses, “Get him to medical. Run some tests on him,” she ordered, pushing Nijimura with her to the medical section as the others followed behind her. Kuroko picked up the knife on the floor, observing the engravings on it as he walked.

Once in medical, Kagami laid Himuro on a bed. Nijimura was being attended to, a simple wrap around his arm was all he needed, the wound was much more shallow than the bleeding implied. Mayuzumi came over and started to strap Himuro’s legs to the bed frame with strips of cloth. Alex, Kuroko, Haizaki, and Kiyoshi stood around them watching.

“You can’t-“ Nijimura started before Mayuzumi cut him off.

“He might try to kill you again,” he simply said, moving up to tie Himuro’s arms to the frame as well. Nijimura’s shoulders slumped and he sighed in defeat, stepping up close to his lover again.

“Why is he trying to kill me?” He asked, fingers brushing against Himuro’s face again.

A silence swooped through the members in the room before Haizaki spoke up, “it’s the consort drug.” The others all turned to him questioningly.

“All the consorts are drugged with something that amplifies suggestion, for reasons you probably can guess,” he looked at the figure on the bed, “Masaomi must’ve told him he could be free if he took out Seirin’s leaders or somethin’. It would’ve worked since you two were? are? still together,” he shrugged, “I don’t know how he knew Himuro would’ve escaped to here though.”

“Is there a way to stop it?” Nijimura asked, looking between Haizaki, Kagami, and Kuroko, who all shook their head.

“I was unaware that it was happening until now,” Kuroko replied, Kagami nodding in agreement.

Himuro’s eyes fluttered open again, his body convulsing as he pulled against the restraints, eyes wide and teeth bared at Nijimura above him. The other stepped to the side cautiously, swallowing thickly as he watched his lover turn red, a sweat breaking out over him as he gasped for breath. The others watched uncomfortably, unsure if they should knock him out again.

A minute passed and Himuro abruptly stopped his thrashing, a whimper escaping his mouth as his eyes closed and his body fell limp again. Nijimura let out a deep sigh and stepped closer again, feeling Himuro’s forehead.

“He has a fever,” he sighed, sitting down on the bed gently.

“I think,” Haizaki said quietly, “one person might have the cure.”

“Who?” Nijimura asked sharply, head flying up to focus on Haizaki.

“The Hanamiya family is well known for the skills in poisons. They’re in charge of making any concoction the royal family needs,” he said, leaning back against the wall. “The only problem is, Makoto Hanamiya is the only direct family member alive and no one knows where he fled to.”

“Actually,” Kiyoshi spoke up, “I told him I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I know where he is.” He hesitated for a moment, “He fled to Touou the same time I deserted.”

_-_

_“Help me,” Kiyoshi said, cornering Hanamiya the night after Nijimura, Mayuzumi, and Alex fled._

_Hanamiya raised an eyebrow, “why didn’t you just leave with those other three yesterday?”_

_“I…” Kiyoshi sighed, “I couldn’t accept that the Empire was corrupt until Mibuchi and Himuro were demoted,” he admitted._

_“Ahh, you finally see what happens when people are too scared to leave what they think is a safe life,” Hanamiya smirked, “Nebuya and Hayama definitely won’t leave now that Mibuchi is compromised and Himuro thought he was doing good by staying behind to watch over those two kids of his, what a shame.”_

_“Why don’t you escape by yourself, it’s not hard,” Hanamiya crossed his arms, “besides, I’m not even joining the resistance. I’m going straight to Touou.”_

_Kiyoshi furrowed his eyebrows, “Why? Don’t you want to overthrow the Empire?”_

_Hanamiya rolled his eyes, “I don’t care what happens to the Empire you oaf. Touou has always been a patron of mine and I’ve been away from that bastard Imayoshi for long enough, he’s been getting antsy with me being in the Capital so long.”_

_“Hanamiya,” Kiyoshi sighed, “please,” he begged, “please just help me get out, I can go on my own from Touou, but I don’t know how to get out of the capital.”_

_Hanamya’s eyebrows raised and he grinned victoriously, “well, if you beg like that, then I supposed you could come with me. Get your stuff, we leave at midnight. Don’t slow me down.”_

_-_

“Touou’s a big country. He could be anywhere. It’s not like the Hanamiyas put a target on themselves with a giant house,” Haizaki inputted, “Himuro doesn’t have too long either. I doubt Masaomi would let an escaped consort live, that drug’s probably gonna kill him by the end of the week, even if he did succeed in his mission.”

“He’s in the palace,” Mayuzumi spoke up suddenly, “where else would Imayoshi keep a prized treasure like that?”

“Kidnap him,” Nijimura simply said, “perhaps Imayoshi would start cooperating with us if we took one of his resources away. I’m trusting you to it, Mayuzumi.”

“Wait, wait, Nijimura, maybe we could go a less extreme way about this,” Kiyoshi put his hands up in a non-hostile way as Nijimura’s piercing gaze fell on him.

“I volunteer to go to Touou. Imayoshi said he wants Aomine and Momoi back, right? I can go guarantee him that we’ll have them this week while the others go out and get them tonight or tomorrow,” he suggested.

Alex and Mayuzumi nodded, Nijimura taking another moment to think.

“Fine. You better convince Touou to join our side, Kiyoshi,” he stood up and headed towards the door, glancing at Himuro one more time.

“To the meeting room, we have a rescue to plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I said I was coming back but I didn't and I returned to the KnB fandom because of Last Game and I'm gonna try to finish this fic up thank you for sticking with me I appreciate it so much!!


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